First Woman Recipient of Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship is Named

Ayanna Squires

First Woman Recipient of Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship is Named

By Rachel Barks

The second annual Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship has found a recipient, and this year, it has been awarded to its first woman law student – Ayanna Squires, an Algonquin resident.

Squires is a driven and passionate individual, having already received her bachelor’s in criminal justice at Lewis University last May and is returning to school this fall, this time to tackle law school at Northern Illinois University.

WCBA President Tom Manzella, with Ayanna Squires and attorney Frank Cservenyak

WCBA President Tom Manzella, with Ayanna Squires and attorney Frank Cservenyak

“I really like the sense of community that people are there to help you in any way they can to grow and network,” Squires said. “I think it is awesome that different professionals and organizations are coming together for this one scholarship to help someone in their legal field.”

Squires took a gap year from school to jump into working within the legal field and get her feet wet; she is currently the 2021-2022 AmeriCorps Illinois JusticeCorps Fellow in the 12th Judicial Circuit. This is where she found out about the scholarship and waited for months for the scholarship to officially open so she could apply. Squires has a strong sense of love for Illinois, and the Will County community, and can’t see herself practicing law anywhere but her home state.

“One of the things that the scholarship will help with is building these community ties, and making sure to lean on those if I need them in law school, after law school, and while I continue to work within my community,” Squires added. “When I am a licensed attorney, I look forward to helping in any way I can.”

The Legal Opportunity Scholarship promotes a strong message of celebrating diversity within the legal community. Squires supports this and expresses how much this means to her as a black woman entering the field.

“It is really telling of the people that they see this issue within the legal community, a lack of diversity, whether that be with a lack of people of color in the legal field, gender ratios, anything of that sort,” Squires said. “I like that they tailored the scholarship to help an underrepresented minority in the legal field, and that helps me a lot as a black woman entering this field; I don’t have any lawyers in my family or anything as a first-generation student.”

Recipients of the Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship, an incoming first-year Black or Latino Law Student, can earn up to $46,000 to assist in paying for their legal education by practicing law in Will County after graduation, which will allow them to further insert themselves into the community.

This year Rathbun, Cservenyak & Kozol, LLC joined an annual collaboration with the Will County Bar Association, the Black Bar Association of Will County, Latino Bar Association of Will County, Will County Women’s Bar Association, and Spesia & Taylor Attorneys at Law to sponsor the 2022 Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship.

Frank Cservenyak of Rathbun, Cservenyak & Kozol, LLC sees great value in giving back to the talented, upcoming professionals of the legal community, which is why they joined the annual collaboration this year.

“This broadens the types of lawyers, from all walks of life, instead of just a narrow walk of life,” Cservenyak said. “And I think that’s good so that we have across-the-board representation of ideas, backgrounds, and all different kinds of cultural experiences when we’re using the law and practicing law.”

Squires looks forward to beginning law school and being open-minded to what area of law she will practice specifically. She plans to take part in valuable internships and externships, taking advantage of what opportunities come her way and developing through those in preparation for graduation and the bar exam.

“One of the most joyous parts has been telling my friends, my family, my coworkers, and just sharing the good news; I’m so very grateful for this opportunity,” Squires said. “Thank you so much to those that created the scholarship and for taking action to have it move forward.”

Rockdale native is 1st recipient of Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship

Rockdale native is 1st recipient of Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship

The scholarship program encourages diversity within the legal community of Will County

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

Photo of Adrian Guzman, Robert Bodach, president of the Will County Bar Association, Rolonda Mitchell, Black Bar Association of Will County, Christian Spesia, Spesia & Taylor

Adrian Guzman (second from left) was chosen as the first recipient of the Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship. He is pictured with scholarship representatives (from left) Robert Bodach, president of the Will County Bar Association; Rolonda Mitchell, Black Bar Association of Will County; and Christian Spesia from Spesia & Taylor. Philip Villasenor of the Latino Bar Association of Will County is not pictured.

A Rockdale resident who dreamed of becoming a lawyer is now one giant step closer to realizing it.

The Will County Bar Association announced at its picnic last Saturday that Adrian Guzman, the son of immigrants from Mexico, was the first recipient of the Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship, a release from the association said.

Recipients of the scholarship are “eligible to receive up to $46,000 to help repay outstanding legal education debt,” the Will County Bar Association website said. In return, the scholarship recipients will be expected to practice law in Will County.

Scholarship committee members said in a Herald-News story in January that the purpose of the scholarship is to encourage diversity among the legal community in Will County. Guzman agreed the concept is a good one.

“It’s nice to give back to the community you grew up in,” Guzman said.

This scholarship program is a collaboration among the Will County Bar Association, the Black Bar Association of Will County, Latino Bar Association of Will County, Will County Women’s Bar Association and Spesia & Taylor Attorneys at Law. A scholarship committee selected four finalists, the release said.

Read the full press release at:
shawlocal.com

Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship Program

Learn more about the program and how to apply.

Putting Their Money Where Their Beliefs Are

Putting Their Money Where Their Beliefs Are

Will County lawyers offering unique scholarship to help promote diversity

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

Members of the Will County Bar Scholarship Committee

Members of the Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship Program committee are, from left: Phillip Villasenor, Shenonda Tisdale, Rolonda Mitchell, Hon. Donald DeWilkins, Jaya Varghese and Chris Spesia.

For perhaps the first time in Will County history, several bar associations in Will County have come together to offer one black or Latino law student a really significant scholarship.

The scholarship recipient will be “eligible to receive up to $46,000 to help repay outstanding legal education debt,” the Will County Bar Association website said.

In return, the scholarship recipient will be expected to practice law in Will County. Scholarship committee members said the purpose of the scholarship is to encourage diversity among the legal community in Will County.

The concept started about six months ago with Chris Spesia of Spesia & Taylor Attorneys at Law in Joliet.

“The events of last year were troubling for everybody,” Spesia said. “So I started to think what we could do that would be positive.”

Spesia started making some calls and discussing ideas, which led to the formation of an official scholarship committee.

Read the full press release at:
shawlocal.com

Will County Legal Opportunity Scholarship Program

Learn more about the program and how to apply.

Will County Bar Association Honors Chief Judge Richard C. Schoenstedt and Bank President James M. Roolf

Chief Judge Richard C. Schoenstedt and Bank President James M. Roolf

The Service to the Community Awards went to Chief Judge Richard C. Schoenstedt and Bank President James M. Roolf.

By Lela Olds, Patch Staff

The Will County Bar Association recently presented its annual Service to the Community Awards to two deserving individuals, the Honorable Richard C. Schoenstedt and James M. Roolf. The awards were given during the non-profit association’s annual Christmas party held at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville.

Each year, the Christmas party gala is held before a room of attorneys, judges, and prominent members of the business community. This year’s gala was overseen by the Bar Association’s President Erin Webster O’Brien, Vice President Don DeWilkins and Second Vice President Bob Bodach, who was also the evening’s emcee. The evening also benefitted the DayBreak Shelter, a homeless shelter in Joliet.

Read more at
patch.com

Will County Bar Association Celebrates 150 Years of Legal Excellence at Fall Gala

Will County Bar Association Celebrates 150 Years of Legal Excellence at Fall Gala

By Denise Freese

The Will County Bar Association, a non-profit professional organization, serves and supports the legal community in Will County by providing education, professional development opportunities, and service programs for its members, the legal profession, and the local community.

Attorney Erin Webster O’Brien currently serves as the President of the WCBA.  “I’ve been a member since I began practicing law in 2004,” she explained.  “I’ve been on the Board of Directors since 2011.  I’m happy to carry on the traditions of service that are set forth in the Bar objectives.”

The objectives of the Will County Bar Association include maintaining the integrity of the profession of law, promoting an understanding of the law and its application in the community, and supporting the Bar’s ability to provide public service, including offering an active Lawyer Referral Service and encouraging members to provide Pro Bono services for those in need.  To celebrate the past 150 years of legal excellence in Will County, the WCBA will host a fabulous gala on October 10, 2019.

Read more at:
theherald-news.com